Management Watch

Debunking IT consumerization myths

Many IT executives around the world have concerns about mobile device security, but few are actually taking action to do anything about it.

Take training, for example. The Dispelling Six Myths of Consumerization of ITreport by Avanade, a business technology solutions and managed services provider, revealed that few business leaders and IT decision makers are willing to spend money on training those in charge of IT. What's even worse: More than half of global companies report they have already had a security breach as a result of employees bringing their own technologies to work.

Ironically, the survey, which pools the perspectives of more than 600 senior business and IT leaders from government and private sector in 17 countries, also found that nearly 80 percent of respondents plan to invest in supporting personal computing technologies in the workplace within the next 12 months. And despite the security risks associated with the bring your own device concept, a majority of the executives said they are accommodating the BYOD (bring your own device) trend.

BYOD has recently gained clout within the government and industry as a driving force spurred by mobility efforts and legislation. Close to 90 percent of executives worldwide say employees are using their own technology tools to do work-related tasks. But although BYOD has been touted as a way to attract younger workers, executives say allowing personal technologies in the workplace is not a strong recruitment or retention tool. Rather, BYOD has given employees more freedom in where they work and resulted in employees’ willingness to work after hours.

The survey also noted a shift in the way employees use their own devices at work. Instead of just checking email and social media sites, employees are increasingly using mission-critical enterprise applications to handle customer relationship management (45 percent), track time and expense (44 percent); and enterprise resource planning (38 percent).

When it comes to security, 81 percent reported their IT infrastructure needs some improvement to address safety issues. Despite this, 65 percent of companies won't shell out funds for training to increase employee awareness on how to better manage risks associated with the consumerization of IT. Instead of training investments, companies are more likely to have employees who proactively solve problems or work after hours, according to the survey.